Sometimes, even a single teaser image of a project can cause a flurry of excitement. This may be one of those times. Earlier today, USA Today writer Brian Truitt posted an interesting tweet with an even more interesting picture to accompany it. His tweet reads as follows:

Hmmm. Just got this in a super-duper top-secret email from @archiecomics. Wonder what this could be about?

The image, which we have included below, depicts Mega Man’s helmet, Sonic’s trademark shoes, a simple tagline, and the vague release date of 2013. While this image essentially confirms the two characters will be together in some form, we may not have to wait long before the collaboration’s true nature is revealed. As it turns out, Comic Con is fast approaching, and Archie will be present with some interesting new developments. Capcom was kind enough to provide readers with some details about Archie’s event on July 15th:

10:00-11:00 Sonic and Mega Man: Video Game Comics Showcase— Get your game on! Folks from the two most popular video game comic series share what’s in store in one, must-attend panel! Learn what’s on tap for Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Universe, and Mega Man. The editorial mastermind behind both books, Paul Kaminski, is joined by Archie Comics president Mike Pellerito, artist Evan Stanley, and Archie Comics executive director of publicity and marketingAlex Segura. See some exclusive artwork, learn about upcoming storylines, and get a glimpse at the biggest comic book event of the year. We. Are. Not. Kidding. Be there! Room 24ABC

Does the “biggest comic book event of the year” refer to this possible crossover? Only time will tell. Until then, we invite you to speculate about the image and Archie’s upcoming event in the comments section below. We thanks everyone who tipped us off about the image’s release.

Many fans were overjoyed by the potential of a crossover between Sonic and Mega Man, and many couldn’t wait for more details. Fortunately, Archie has provided many of those details via a press release that was released today and has been reproduced in full below.

The comic book event marks the first time the two legendary video game characters have crossed over, making it a landmark meeting for comic book and gaming fans around the world. The story will be written by best-selling and longtime SONIC THE HEDGEHOG and MEGA MAN writer Ian Flynn and will feature cover art by superstar artist Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante, who illustrated the hit SONIC: GENESIS storyline and the highly-successful MEGA MAN comic book launch.
“This is a historic moment for not only Sonic and Mega Man, but for Archie,” said Archie Comics Co-CEO Jon Goldwater. “We’ve had a long, fruitful history with Sonic and are enjoying great success with Mega Man in all our markets. Bringing these characters together was something we’ve been hoping for since we got both licenses, so this is very much a dream come true for the company.”
The crossover, spearheaded by Archie’s Executive Director of Editorial Paul Kaminski, will be a universe-spanning tale that involves not only the legendary characters, but their expansive and diverse supporting casts and villains for a tale that’s certain to go down as one of the most acclaimed and best-selling comic crossovers ever.
The 12-part storyline will run through the ongoing SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, MEGA MAN and SONIC UNIVERSE titles and be available in print and digitally.
“We’ve been gearing up for this for years,” said Kaminski. “From the moment we had Mega Man at Archie, we knew we wanted to bring Sonic and the Blue Bomber together. It’s a big budget movie featuring two of the most storied video game franchises. This has never happened before. We’re making history here, and it’s going to knock people for a loop. This is what comics are all about – drama, fun, action and tons of surprises. Fans will not be disappointed.”

If anything, this press release reveals two things both Archie and Sonic fans have in common: great excitement about the upcoming crossover and high hopes for an impressive final product. We’ll see just how impressive the fruit of Archie’s labor is when the crossover arrives next year.